‘How Sizwezakhe Vumazonke murdered Jayde Panayiotou’: State’s case he will never get to answer

Sizwezakhe Vumazonke‚ the murder suspect who died on Wednesday‚ was promised first R40‚000 and then R80‚000 to shoot Jayde Panayiotou‚ according to the prosecution’s case.

The State alleges the hit was ordered by her businessman husband‚ Christopher‚ who was having an affair. He and his co-accused are pleading not guilty. The murder trial has been set down for between October 10 and December 2.

Jayde‚ 29‚ was abducted outside her Kabega Park townhouse in Port Elizabeth on the morning of 21 April‚ 2015. Her body was found on a farm in Rocklands near Uitenhage the next day. She was a schoolteacher in Uitenhage.

While Vumazonke’s death means he will never have to answer to the charges‚ chilling details of the meticulous planning that allegedly went into plotting her murder last year‚ were revealed in an indictment served on her husband and his co-accused‚ in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court in May.

The docket alleges the suspects tracked the Uitenhage teacher’s movements multiple times before the killing and states that her alleged killer went to a popular fried chicken fastfood outlet for supper after being paid for shooting her dead.

According to the indictment‚ before her abduction and murder‚ the alleged killers:

– circled the home of Jayde’s friend and colleague‚ Cherise Swanepoel‚

– Jayde’s route to work and

– the Port Elizabeth townhouse complex where she lived with her husband.

They eventually abandoned an alleged plan to shoot her en route to Riebeek College in Uitenhage with Swanepoel.

Instead‚ Vumazonke‚ 30‚ and Sinethemba Nemembe‚ 28‚ shoved Jayde into their rental car and drove to an open field in KwaNobuhle near Uitenhage‚ where she was shot three times‚ the prosecution alleges.

After they had been paid‚ Vumazonke and self-confessed middleman Luthando Siyoni went to the KFC in Kwazakhele for supper.

Siyoni has since turned state witness.

The indictment also alleges that:

On April 1 last year‚ Siyoni reached out to Vumazonke on Facebook. He then allegedly informed him that he would be paid R40‚000 for the murder‚ which was later increased to R80‚000.

On April 4‚ Vumazonke approached Nemembe to assist.

It was allegedly agreed that the murder would take place on April 5‚ after Jayde had been to her husband’s Infinity cocktail lounge‚ where Siyoni worked as a bouncer‚ but the visit did not materialise.

The prosecution alleges that another failed plan came a couple of days later‚ when the killers were meant to wait for Jayde at Swanepoel’s house‚ follow their vehicle and then shoot her.

Then‚ on the morning of April 15‚ when the alleged hit was again due to take place‚ the state alleges Vumazonke and Nemembe drove around for 20 minutes looking for Jayde‚ but could not find her.

On April 21‚ they are alleged to have tried again. This time‚ the State says‚ she was spotted waiting outside the complex.